Over-Thinking Zelda: Skyward Sword, Gratitude Crystals, and a Conversation About Reward Systems

One of my favorite aspects of Skyward Sword is Skyloft. The picturesque city above the clouds serves as Link’s home base over the course of his adventure, as our hero often returns to rest, purchase supplies, upgrade his gear, and interact with the many friendly faces that live there.

It’s easy to get sidetracked in Skyloft. Most of the game’s secrets and side quests lie within the city or in the surrounding Sky. Whether you’re opening up newly awakened Goddess Chests, enjoying a mini-game or two, or paying off a debt at the Lumpy Pumpkin, there’s often something to do upon a revisit to Skyloft.

And of all the errands and distractions present in Skyloft, I have found the Gratitude Crystals side quest to be the most engaging and interesting.

A simple visit to the Lumpy Pumpkin and a conversation with a seemingly paranoid patron will clue Link in to a terrifying “monster” that resides somewhere near Skyloft’s cemetery. But upon further inspection by our fearless hero, we come to find that the monster is actually a gentle and friendly being named Batreaux.

As a means to earn his humanity, Batreaux will beg Link to collect “Gratitude Crystals” (“Feelings of Gratitude” in Japanese) around Skyloft. According to “an old tale” passed down among Batreaux’s “monstrous kin,” substances known as Gratitude Crystals are produced “when humans make other humans happy.” Thus, Link sets out to solve the troubles of those living in Skyloft in order to gather enough Gratitude Crystals and hopefully turn Batreaux into a human.

Since Skyward Sword‘s release 10 years ago, I have thought a lot about Gratitude Crystals and their unique role as collectibles and rewards within the larger Zelda series. Sure, when looked at as just another Zelda collectible, Gratitude Crystals and the quests associated with them are nothing new or special. But when examined with an especially critical eye — over-thinking, if you will — Gratitude Crystals carry with them unique implications relating to the nature of The Legend of Zelda‘s optional content in general, to the series’ themes of heroism and morality, and to the relationship between the series and its players.

So, with the recent release of Skyward Sword HD, I feel that now is the best time to start a conversation about Gratitude Crystals, to re-examine their significance and purpose within the game, and to explain why these crystallized nuggets of thankfulness, to me, leave such a complicated legacy. I hope you’re ready for a lot of excessive philosophizing.

 

A Conduit for Character

Of the many collectibles featured throughout the Zelda series, Gratitude Crystals can be easily compared to Ocarina of Time‘s Gold Skulltula Tokens, Twilight Princess‘ Poe Souls, or A Link Between Worlds‘ Maiamais. Unlike Rupees, they are limited in quantity and can’t be used as currency; and unlike Pieces of Heart or Stamina Vessels, they do not directly contribute to Link’s physical attributes. Rather, like the collectibles named above, they are gathered and then cashed in to a specific character in exchange for useful items and abilities.

But, despite these apropos comparisons, I would go a step further and say that Gratitude Crystals are most like the Masks from Majora’s Mask, perhaps not in function but in how they are collected. Like the 24 Masks present in Majora’s Mask, most clusters of Gratitude Crystals are collected through character-specific quest lines. In both cases, Link encounters problem-plagued NPC’s, he addresses their needs, and he is ultimately rewarded with the respective collectible.

And while Gratitude Crystals fall short in the direct utility department — one can’t gain unique actions and abilities by equipping crystals like one would a mask — they do emphasize character development and storytelling, for a wide variety of NPC’s, in a way that Skulltula Tokens or Poe Souls do not. In collecting nearly every mask and nearly every cluster of Gratitude Crystals, Link — and the player along with him — gets the opportunity to get to know the characters of the world and experience unique stories relating to those characters.

Many of Majora’s Mask‘s side quests are well remembered because they provide engaging story threads, with well-developed characters and well-defined relationships between those characters. The quests for the Couple’s Mask, the Postman’s Hat, and Romani’s Mask are all good examples. Even lesser side quests like that of the Stone Mask, the Breman Mask, or the Mask of Scents provide memorable moments for otherwise tertiary characters that flesh out the game world beyond what’s seen on the critical path.

Skyward Sword‘s many Gratitude Crystal side quests do the same thing.

 

During my most recent playthrough of Skyward Sword HD, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed simply exploring Skyloft, meeting its many characters, and solving those characters’ problems. As I collected more Gratitude Crystals, I found myself further endeared to Skyloftians like the sleep-deprived Bertie, the lovesick Cawlin, and the hero-smitten Peatrice. I even grew to love characters I did not like at first, like the scrawny Fledge, over the course of their Gratitude Crystal storyline. Some of these stories even had multiple outcomes, encouraging different choices for players down the road and saving potent character moments for future playthroughs.

With all that said, I personally would have loved to see even more Gratitude Crystal side quests featured throughout the game, just as an excuse to see and learn more about Skyward Sword‘s characters and world. I genuinely don’t think Skyloft and its citizens would have been as fondly remembered without the Gratitude Crystals serving as a conduit for such strong character development. But for every character I remember through their gratitude quest, a different character comes to mind that would have truly benefitted from a gratitude quest of their own, that would have truly benefitted from some more engaging development.

Solving more problems and experiencing more character moments would have been better than finding a stray Gratitude Crystal on a nightstand, that’s for sure.

The one character in Skyloft that could most use some gratitude in their life would be Greba, the put-upon mother of the Scrap Shop’s Gondo. This crotchety old woman spends the entirety of Skyward Sword doing laundry and complaining about her son. There’s a reason why she has a reputation as one of the biggest grumps in the Zelda series. But despite her consistent emotional state just begging for some intervention from a positive young hero, Greba is unfortunately never given the chance to generate Gratitude Crystals of her own. This is a real shame, as I would have loved to learn more about her life, her history, her motivations, and her relationship with her son. And, if such a task is even possible, I would have loved to help Greba find some kind of emotional resolution and to see her mood change over the course of a side quest.

And speaking of mother-son relationships, another pair of characters who, despite already receiving a Gratitude Crystal quest each in Skyward Sword, could have used more of Link’s patented helpfulness are knight-in-training Pipit and his forgetful mother Mallara. In addition to a fun love triangle quest involving Pipit, Link can initiate a quest for Mallara which involves cleaning up her home with the Gust Bellows.

If only cleaning a real house was as easy as blowing dust up into the air.

 

Tidying Mallara’s dwelling will not only earn Link a cluster of Gratitude Crystals and some Rupees, but it will unlock an optional cutscene between the woman and her son. If Link ventures by the house during the night, he will overhear an argument between Pipit and Mallara. The young man can be heard rebuking his mother over the money she spent to have the house cleaned, money that was meant for bread. According to Pipit, if they continue to eat into their savings, the family won’t have enough money for him to go to the academy.

The entire situation seems ripe for some good, old-fashioned help from Link. However, other than a few throwaway lines by Pipit, our hero cannot investigate this family drama any further. From a storytelling perspective, addressing the financial woes of a small family, reforming the selfishness and strife therein, and mending a broken relationship would have made for a really touching and fulfilling experience. No doubt Pipit would have produced some Gratitude Crystals, at the very least. But, unfortunately, this entire character dynamic — as is the case with a handful of others in Skyloft — was left undeveloped.

It’s a shame that there weren’t more Gratitude Crystal side quests in the game, but, fortunately, the ones that were present provided many engaging character moments.

As with collecting the Masks of Majora’s Mask, helping the non-player characters to collect Gratitude Crystals proved a highly effective way to develop Skyward Sword‘s cast of characters and its consistent hub area. By seeing these characters at their most helpless, at their most vulnerable, and by working to address their needs, to improve their situations, to help them grow, the player his or herself becomes a more active participant in Skyward Sword‘s world and is thus guaranteed higher investment in the lives of those who live there. The fate of the world and of its characters — the stakes of Link’s adventure — means more to the player, and that player wants to see Link’s quest through to the end even more.

 

Extrinsic Vs. Intrinsic Rewards

In case it wasn’t obvious from the section above, I personally more enjoyed the process of completing Gratitude Crystal side quests than I did actually collecting and cashing in the Gratitude Crystals themselves. For me, the reward was the side quest itself: the opportunity to meet new characters, to participate in the selfless actions of our hero, and to witness the happiness brought to the people of the world.

In this way, for me, the Gratitude Crystals side quests carried more of an intrinsic value than an extrinsic value.

From a psychological standpoint, there are two forms of motivation that can drive a person to perform a given task: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. According to Phil Sennett of the University of Rochester, intrinsic motivation “involves performing a task because it’s personally rewarding to you,” while extrinsic motivation “involves completing a task or exhibiting a behavior because of outside causes such as avoiding punishment or receiving a reward.”

Just as these two types of motivation inform the actions and decisions of people in their everyday lives, they equally inform the actions and decisions of players in the medium of video games. Every task a player is asked to perform within a video game will carry intrinsic value, extrinsic value, or a unique combination of both, as each player is motivated to complete such tasks based on the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards provided.

Using Ocarina of Time as an example: one player may be compelled to complete Gerudo’s Trading Ground based solely on the extrinsic motivation of acquiring the Ice Arrows, while a different player may be compelled to complete that same dungeon based solely on the intrinsic motivation of finishing all the game’s extra content for completion’s sake. In either case, the dungeon carries enough motivation to move a player to find and finish it, but the classification of that motivation is different based on the player.

A more nuanced example can be found in Breath of the Wild: collecting Korok Seeds. For many players, Korok Seeds carry some extrinsic value, at least at first, as they can be cashed in for more item slots; however, that extrinsic value depreciates over time as the tangible benefit of more item slots itself depreciates, until of course Korok Seeds carry as much extrinsic value as a silly golden poop. However, for other players (and me at least), as the extrinsic value of Korok Seeds diminishes, they still retain their intrinsic value because the process of finding them remains subjectively enjoyable. I personally enjoyed exploring a large sandbox, identifying secrets, and solving environmental puzzles; I was far more intrinsically motivated to find Korok Seeds than I was extrinsically motivated.

The same principles can be applied to any goal presented in a Zelda game — whether on or off the critical path — with various rewards and motivators — whether intrinsic or extrinsic — existing to spur each and every player on.

And considering how story-focused the medium of video games can be, one can even argue that story moments and character development are themselves rewards for completed tasks and are thus extrinsic motivators. One player may not intrinsically enjoy playing through a game or a portion of a game, but the promise of a good story and strong characters motivates that player to soldier on. For example, a Majora’s Mask player may not intrinsically enjoy waiting minutes and minutes at the Stock Pot Inn to complete the Couples Mask side quest, but the promise of an exceptional story keeps that player motivated to continue.

Video games truly are unique in that regard.

 

The Gratitude Crystal side quest as a whole, for me, carries more intrinsic value because I personally enjoyed the process of completing it on its own. I was not particularly motivated by the tangible rewards waiting for me at the end. However, I can imagine that other players were far more incentivized by the promise of a bigger wallet or a safer Skyloft. It all really depends on the player.

Of course, this distinction between the intrinsic and the extrinsic isn’t always a binary one. Any task in a given Zelda title can carry any combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with the ratio dependent on the specific player asked to complete that task. Some players may find more value in the practical reward of a given side quest — the extrinsic thus outweighs the intrinsic — while other players may find more value in the simple satisfaction of completing the side quest itself – the intrinsic thus outweighs the extrinsic.

In this way, the Gratitude Crystals can carry any combination of intrinsic and extrinsic value based entirely on the player collecting them, with tangible rewards — like the Cursed Medal and the Tycoon Wallet — and non-tangible motivators — like the mere enjoyment of playing the game or the mere satisfaction of completion — are weighted differently based on that player’s personal priorities.

The Gratitude Crystal side quest, and the motivating factors that influenced me during my most recent playthough, has revealed to me just how diverse the Zelda fanbase and its many priorities can be. While I personally felt a stronger intrinsic motivation to complete the quest because I enjoyed the journey it took me on, I fully recognize that there are countless others who felt a stronger motivation based on the rewards Batreax provided. In either case, the motivation, the approach, and the sense of accomplishment is valid for every player that completes the quest.

With that said, I now have a stronger awareness and appreciation for all Zelda side quests, even the ones I don’t personally enjoy. And I now have a stronger awareness and appreciation for the factors that drive each unique player to complete quests, to overcome challenges, and to ultimately save the worlds of the Zelda series.

 

An Apology for Mr. Grzelak

In 2015, former Zelda Informer copy editor Paul Grzelak penned an editorial titled “Moral Bankruptcy in Skyloft,” which examined the characters of Skyloft, their roles in the Gratitude Crystal side quest, and the implications that side quest provides in regards to those characters’ moral qualities. One observation from this editorial that I’ve always wanted to further elaborate on relates to how the Gratitude Crystals — whether intentional or not on Nintendo’s part — inherently invite questions about the quality of “gratitude” they are meant to represent and about how that gratitude, as a function of human psychology, reveals certain things about the characters that produce them.

Grzelak asserts that the Gratitude Crystal reward system “treats everyone’s problems with equal weight even when some characters have much larger problems than others.” This observation is a valid one. Link always receives exactly five Gratitude Crystals when he solves a character’s problem on Skyloft, no matter what the problem is, how serious it is, or what was done to fix it. Therefore, from an especially literal point of view, the game is telling the player that every character feels the exact same measure of “gratitude” after Link has intervened, no matter the circumstances.

As Grzelak points out, the character Wryna produces the exact same amount of Gratitude Crystals after Link locates her lost daughter — a process that takes a single in-game day at least — as the character Mallara does after Link dusts her living room. If a Gratitude Crystal is a measure of one’s feeling of gratitude, then these two characters must be feeling the same exact amount of gratitude, despite the colossal differences in seriousness and urgency between their respective problems. If a player were inclined to read just a little bit between the lines, it’d be fairly easy to make conclusions on those characters’ personal priorities and moral dispositions.

While the conclusions one draws from this observation will depend entirely on an individual’s interpretations, the truth is that by including “Gratitude Crystals” as a reward for good deeds, Skyward Sword has implicitly provided a metric by which to measure characters’ thankfulness toward certain conditions in their lives and provided an opportunity for certain philosophical players to make inferences about those characters’ other emotional, psychological, or moral qualities based on what they are grateful for and how much gratitude they express.

That’s what happens when something as metaphysical as “Feelings of Gratitude” are made into physical objects with such specific measured values. Like morality points in an RPG, Gratitude Crystals took the abstract and made it tangible; and doing so made in-game characters vulnerable to unique degrees of empirical-like scrutiny.

 

Because Gratitude Crystals are defined the way they are, players could make the case that Mallara is especially selfish because she expresses the same amount of gratitude — “a lot of gratitude,” by the game’s own admission — at a clean house as a grieving mother does at the safe return of her daughter. Heck, one would think that reuniting with a lost child would produce a larger-than-average amount of Gratitude Crystals. If everyone on Skyloft produces 5 crystals when they get what they want, are they all varying degrees of selfish? Or, on the other hand, is Wrynna’s gratitude not as intense as a rejoicing mother’s gratitude should be?

And let’s not get started on all the characters that Link helps throughout Skyward Sword‘s critical path that don’t even produce Gratitude Crystals, such as Gondo, Groose, or Zelda herself. Were they not grateful after Link helped them? Did they take Link’s actions and sacrifices for granted? Do certain types of gratitude produce crystals while others do not? Do feelings of gratitude exist on a spectrum? I’m an over-thinking Zelda fan, and I have questions!

At the very least, this is all noteworthy — and perhaps even humorous — as an unintended by-product of the Gratitude Crystals’ inclusion. I doubt the Zelda team even considered players would read this much into the silly, little reward system they cooked up for Skyloft. But by assigning a number to a genuine quality of human psychology, the developers did establish an interesting framework by which to judge Skyward Sword‘s cast of characters. The same thing would have happened if Skyward Sword had included Sadness Crystals, or Excitement Crystals, or Romance Crystals as currencies accumulated based on Link’s actions in the world.

(Note to Nintendo: I would wholeheartedly welcome Romance Crystals in a future Zelda game).

All in all, I simply find it interesting that Gratitude Crystals can act as an additional form of characterization within Skyward Sword. Beyond traditional forms of characterization like dialogue, actions, and motivations, the stated measures of “gratitude” contribute to the psychological and moral profiles of certain characters that players construct throughout the game. Characters like Groose and Impa can be characterized by the way they act throughout the main game, while characters like Wryna and Mallara can be characterized by their gratitude compared against the weight of their problems.

In this way, Gratitude Crystals, as the ingredients of thought experiments and fan theories, have helped us get into the minds of Skyward Sword‘s side characters in ways not possible with past side characters. From a head-canon perspective at the very least, I can say that analyzing the “gratitude” of these characters has made them that much more memorable to me as a player.

 

Quantifying Heroism

Just as Gratitude Crystals can be used to reveal certain things about the side characters of Skyward Sword, they can also be used to reveal certain things about the game’s protagonist, and about the player themselves.

Something that I have always thought about in video games, especially in a ludonarrative sense, is the motivations of player characters to risk their time, energy, and even lives to meet the needs of those around them. Why do characters like Link, Mario, and Samus do the things they do? Now, the answer to that question obviously depends on each specific character, their role in their story, and the end goal they hope to achieve. Even Link’s motivation differs from game to game, and even from task to task.

In regards to their main quests to save the world, Link from Ocarina of Time is partly motivated by a fear of a dark future, Link from The Wind Waker is partly motivated by the wellbeing of his little sister, and Link from Twilight Princess is partly motivated by a growing darkness distorting the world he knows. And all three, as with most Links, are motivated by some divine calling to vanquish evil.

The motivating factors to perform such big tasks are easy to recognize. But what about the smaller tasks? Why is Ocarina of Time Link motivated to corral chickens for a distressed farm woman? Why is Wind Waker Link motivated to place various flowers and flags on pedestals around an island town? Why is Twilight Princess Link motivated to carry a barrel of Hot Spring Water half-way across the kingdom for the sake of one bridge builder?

The easy and most astute answer to these questions is that Link is a good-natured hero that enjoys helping people with their problems and making others happy. If we were to characterize Link, we could say that, no matter how urgent his current objective is, Link will always make time to help a person in need. That’s what makes him a hero.

Going back to our intrinsic vs. extrinsic conversation: Link, from my perspective, simply carries an intrinsic motivation to help people. The quality fits perfectly into his character. And the measure of Link’s heroism — which, as we all know, is quite high — is based on the joy, peace, love, and well-being he brings to the various characters of the game world. Link’s heroism is measured by the amount of people he’s helped and by what he did to help them.

While the measure of Link’s heroism is kept traditionally abstract in most Zelda games, I believe the Gratitude Crystals of Skyward Sword illustrate these qualities of Link’s characters in a uniquely palpable way, as they assign an actual number to the good deeds he performs and the happiness he produces in others. What is merely inferable by indirect characterization in other games is made numerically obvious in Skyward Sword. Just by looking at how many Gratitude Crystals he’s collected, we have a clear indication of how much of a friend, a good Samaritan, and a hero Link has been over the course of his journey.

Link’s heroism, simply put, is quantified in Skyward Sword.

 

Now, I personally cannot decide on whether this resulting interpretation of the Gratutude Crystals is a good thing or a bad thing. (Maybe it’s neither?) On one hand, one could argue that the system is rather silly or on-the-nose in that it gamifies a quality of one’s character — as well as the feelings one produces in others — that should be left in the abstract. That type of argument could equally be made against morality systems in RPG’s. Quantifying the attributes of a hero eliminates a lot of the nuance in characterization and makes the actions that increase those attributes feel more mechanical, business-like, and obligatory. A true hero doesn’t help people just to build up a resume, after all.

But on the other hand, one could argue that by providing this “gratitude” stat, Skyward Sword succeeds by introducing an RPG-like system — albeit a very Nintendo one — into the traditional Zelda formula. I personally could imagine a future Zelda game, using Feelings of Gratitude as a foundation, introducing a Hero stat of some kind that increases with each good deed. This hero stat could improve Link’s standing, notoriety, and reputation within the game world. And as Link becomes more of a hero in the eyes of Hyrule’s citizens, new dialogue, character interactions, side quests, and storylines would become available to him and the player.

Assigning a number to one’s heroics — a very video game approach — really does open up the possibilities to experiment.

But, considering the Zelda series as a whole, Gratitude Crystals have not been the only method by which to measure Link’s heroism; it is nearly one of the most direct. Before Skyward Sword, Link’s good deeds did not result in crystallized units of thankfulness; instead, they usually resulted in some form of reward. If Link helped another person with a problem, he would receive compensation in the form of Rupees, Heart Pieces, or any number of helpful items. And while these rewards do not carry an explicit number value representing “gratitude,” they still indirectly carry the value of Link’s good deeds. Link’s heroism, in a sense, is measured by the weight of the rewards he receives.

If only true heroism was measured in Empty Bottles, Rupees, and Pieces of Heart.

What then do we make of all these rewards Link has received for doing so many good deeds? Surely Link isn’t helping all these people just to receive a reward, right? That does not fit in with his character at all, in my opinion. Well, I would see Link moreso accepting — not expecting — rewards as a sign of good faith toward the people he’s helped along his journey. And, in many cases, I would see Link accepting rewards as means to an end. Rupees, Heart Pieces, and the like have utility in regards to Link’s overall quest; they will help make his job of vanquishing evil and saving the kingdom that tiny bit easier.

In that sense, Link’s rewards truly are metrics by which to measure his heroism. For one, because these rewards are not the motivating agent informing Link’s good deeds — as helping those in need is his only motivation — they simply serve to remind us of Link’s pure intentions. Additionally, because Link accepts these rewards only as a means to make his ultimate quest easier, they serve to illustrate his continued development as a growing hero.

Like trophies on the wall of an accomplished athlete, every piece of equipment and every collectible acts a symbol of Link’s own accomplishments, a symbol of his righteous motivations, and a symbol of his further potential for overcoming absolute evil.

 

Helping Us Become the Hero

But, whatever the benefit these rewards bring to Link and his quest, I likewise see the various rewards in Zelda games as simple contrivances for the benefit of the player. As discussed above, some players need that extrinsic motivation to complete side quests, to make the extra effort worth it in the grand scheme of things. And looking at things in this way reveals a distinct difference between the character of Link and the character of the player.

I would argue that no person alive today is as virtuous and pure-of-heart as Link is. The motivations and moral obligations that drive Link to do the things he does, to sacrifice so much and deny himself so often, are just so mythical in nature. His heroism is as idealized as one could get. And even when considering Link’s technical role as an avatar for the player — wherein Link’s actions and priorities are very much in line with those players who control him — certain in-game contrivances, like rewards from side quests, subtly reveal differences between this hero and ourselves when examined especially critically.

The fact that we need rewards to be motivated to complete certain side quests while Link does not — as based on his characterization as an idealized hero — clearly demonstrates the dissimilarities between us and him. Link doesn’t need an incentive to be hero, while we usually do. And therefore, the equipment and items that we, through Link, collect over the course of the journey can be seen as reminders of the way we fall short of Link’s otherworldly virtues.

I know that I would not have naturally wanted to donate 1,000 Rupees to a poor beggar in Twilight Princess‘ Castle Town; that’s quite a lot of money I’d prefer to spend elsewhere and the quest itself doesn’t offer enough meaningful story content for my liking. However, the promise of a Heart Piece — of increased HP and an additional step toward 100% completion — compelled me enough to fork over that exorbitant sum of Rupees over the course of the game. That’s where Link and I differ: while I need a reward to incentivize me to give money to a person pleading for help, Link offers that money out of the kindness of his heart, without the expectation of a reward. Therefore, in my head, that Heart Piece exists partly as a reminder of my heroic shortcomings when compared to Link. I needed that Heart Piece to push me to perform a heroic action, whereas Link frankly never needs such a push.

In many respects, Gratitude Crystals act as similar rewards to the ones mentioned above. Like Rupees, Heart Pieces, or any piece of equipment, the crystals signify Link’s heroic accomplishments and his continued heroic potential. However, I would argue that, because Gratitude Crystals specifically reflect the happiness of humans, they do not so profoundly emphasize that difference between Link and the player. Instead, those Gratitude Crystals allow players to feel even more like Link in all his heroic glory and to further participate in his selfless acts of heroism.

 

The reward for every Gratitude Crystal side quest is, predictably, a cluster of Gratitude Crystals. Sure, those crystals can be cashed in for gear and treasures; but in the most direct sense, the reward for helping the denizens of Skyloft is always just some Feelings of Gratitude. Therefore, given that Link — the hero of heroes — never really expects a tangible reward for his good deeds, simple Feelings of Gratitude are actually the most believable reward a selfless hero like him would expect to receive. They are the rewards most befitting of Link’s standard of heroism.

Additionally, as far as the hero Link is concerned, the act of collecting Gratitude Crystals and presenting them to Batreaux is another altruistic act of selflessness not necessitating a tangible reward. Link is, from my perspective, gathering Gratitude Crystals because he wants to see Batreaux turn into a human so that he can realize his one true wish: “to become friends with the lovely people of Skyloft.” In this way, our hero is helping so many people with their problems in order to help Batreaux with his problem. The rewards that the demon periodically provides as more Gratitude Crystals are collected are, as with the rewards mentioned above, moreso incentives for the player than for Link.

However, even when considering the handful of goodies Batreaux gifts us for all the Gratitude Crystals we pick up, I still view the Gratitude Crystals themselves — as compared to other Zelda rewards — as a better, more effective way for the player to step into the shoes of a selfless hero like Link. By providing an additional degree of separation between the act of heroism and the reward, Gratitude Crystals actually help to make the distinction between Link and the player — the distinction between their heroic virtues — less pronounced.

In the immediate sense, good deeds produce gratitude and happiness. (Link would be very satisfied with those rewards alone.) And while small amounts of Gratitude Crystals can be cashed in for gear early on, the player must eventually collect more and more Gratitude Crystals in order to cash them in. Over time, the player must help two to five people before they even receive a reward. The good deeds committed can become so far separated from the rewards offered such that the player can more frequently appreciate the satisfaction that Link would feel being rewarded with simple gratitude and happiness.

Hopefully, in this way, the player will more often get to feel the satisfaction of helping people in the same way that Link does. Hopefully, by producing gratitude and happiness alone, they will feel more like a true hero. And then, by the time all the Gratitude Crystals have been collected and the Tycoon Wallet is in the player’s possession, Batreaux’s transformation from a beast into a man and his expression of unspeakable gratefulness will prove to be a reward greater than any other.

 

Conclusion

Helping people feels good!

For as simple and charming an idea as they were in Skyward Sword, Gratitude Crystals proved to be very, very unique among the long list of Zelda collectibles. Not only did these gems of thankfulness emphasize storytelling and character building, but they also begged questions and invited discussion about morality, heroism, and the nature of gratitude itself. For Zelda fans that enjoy exploring themes, analyzing media, and indulging in the age-old habit of over-thinking, Gratitude Crystals offer quite a lot.

I’m undecided on if I’d ever like to see a similar system introduced in a future Zelda game; but as a novelty of Skyward Sword alone, I have come to really appreciate the Gratitude Crystals and all the baggage they carry with them.

What were your thoughts on the Gratitude Crystals in Skyward Sword? Did you find them unique or noteworthy? Have you had any deep thoughts relating to Gratitude Crystals or Zelda side content in general? Share all you thoughts in the comments below!

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Rod Lloyd is the managing editor at Zelda Dungeon, primarily overseeing the news and feature content of the site. The Zelda Dungeon Caption Contest and Zelda Dungeon themed weeks are both Rod’s babies. You can find Rod on Twitter right here.